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F
irst, here are a few of the common expectations, beliefs,
and fears youll encounter. Before you even look at the
resume presented to you at a resume critique session,
you need to be aware of the agendas that some students may
bring with them:
Your students concerns about his or her resume might be
just the tip of the iceberg; that is, other problems and is-
sues may emerge during a resume critique that are initially
masked by resume concerns. These issues can include
coping with parental expectations, indecisiveness, fear of
commitment to any one career, self-esteem problems, or
any of a host of others. Once you have determined that
theres something else involved besides the resume, it is
appropriate for you to assist the student in dealing with it
by referring him or her to the professional staff.
Some students are under the impression that advisers at
career services should write part or all of their resumes for
them. They bring a rough draft of the resume to the critique
sessionit might be only an outline of names, dates, and
places in their academic and vocational lives, illegibly scrawled
on torn notebook paper or poorly formatted on their computer.
They expect that you will compose the resumewhich, of
course, youll gently tell them is not part of your job.
Many of your peers may be intent on getting you to tell them
the right way to put together a resume. Maybe theyve
gathered conicting information from parents, employers,
professors, and/or friends, and now feel entitled to get
the nal, denitive viewpoint from you. Of course, there is
no one best way to construct a resume, and not you nor
anyone else in career services can or wants to tell them
that there is. Youll need to lead each student gently into
building the type of resume that will work for him or her
as an individual.
Whether they acknowledge it or not, many students feel
uneasy about exposing such a personal document as my
resume to the cold eyes of outsiders. The student may see
his or her resume as a symbol of his or her real value in
the world and seek reassurance from you that he or she
has achieved an acceptable level. Sometimes a student may
react as though any criticism of the resume is actually a
criticism of his or her life and choices. Youll likely decide
to refer this type of person to the professional staff.
Some students may be required by their instructor to create
a resume and have it critiqued at career services. They may
or may not take the exercise seriously. Use this opportunity
to indicate the importance of the resume for internship
searches, scholarship applications, graduate school, and
the job search.
Creating a Positive Environment
It is up to you to set up an environment of trust and accep-
tance during the resume critique sessions. It is important that
we all show students that we are far more interested in them, as
people, than in any advice we give. So, listen with a third ear
to the feelings behind the students statements. Does he or she
seem anxious, angry, pleased, confused, resigned? Try to smile
frequently, make good eye contact, and be aware of the students
reactions to your advice. Some questions you might ask include:
What do you think about my suggestions? What are your
reactions at this point?
Beginning the Critique
Look over the resume and nd something positive to say about
it, such as: Youve done a lot of traveling, havent you? Your
job at the prison sounds really interesting. Its impressive that
you were involved in so many campus activities and maintained
a high GPA! You seem to have a diverse work history! Starting
out with negative feedback can get things off to a bad start.
Next, ask your student something like: How do you feel
The Resume Critique: A Gentle Art
A Resource Manual for Career Services Paraprofessionals
FEBRUARY 2011 JOURNAL/29
money? Did you have organizational or coordinating
functions?
Very general information that lacks quantication. How
many clients did you call each day? What was the total
amount of cash for which you were responsible? How
many new employees did you train?
Two Ways to Improve a Resume
By Magnifying
Focus the readers attention on skills, tasks, and activities
related to the students job objective. The degree of importance
is emphasized by positioning and by how much detail is included.
(Psychologically, people tend to pay more attention to items that
are near the top of a list.) Here are some suggestions regarding
magnifying:
For each job description, put the most relevant task at the
beginning of the list. Provide details for related tasks only.
Quantify and include outcomes, and indicate any special
recognition.
Before magnifying:
Job Objective: Entry level technical writer
Secretary, Monmouth, Inc., New Brunswick, New Jersey
Filed court documents and billing receipts. Entered data
into IBM PC using Lotus. Contacted clients to update
information on corporate holdings. Wrote letters and
reports.
After magnifying:
Composed more than 50 letters sent to corporate clients
such as Scott Paper, Zeneca, and Campbell, Inc. Wrote
narrative for statistical report on white-collar crime that
was included in the annual report sent to nearly 1,000
organizations nationwide.
If two or more positions show relevant skills or occupa-
tions, group them into a Related Experience category and
position it high on the resume. Provide a description of
accomplishments using action verbs and quantication
where appropriate.
Incorporate related volunteer work, club activities, com-
munity work, and class projects into the Related Experience
category.
Include only related course work that corresponds to your
eld of interest under the Education category. Omit introduc-
tory course work. For example, the history major who wants
to go into business should stress such business-related
courses as written communication in business, econom-
ics, or marketing (if those courses are part of his or her
academic transcript).
For experienced alumni or career changers resumes, add
a Highlights or Qualications Brief category following the
job objective that summarizes the relevant career high
points and skills.
Show skills rather than tell about them. For example:
Possess excellent communication skills can be rewritten
about your resume? or Do you think this resume says what
you want it to say? The students response will tell you a great
deal about his or her level of condence in what is on paper. If
the students opinion of the resume is very different from your
own, extra sensitivity in your response may be needed to address
how the resume might be altered to improve it.
If the resume in front of you states a job objective, you can
use that objective as a guiding principle or thesis statement
with which to evaluate the contents of the resume. The close-
ness of the match between the desired occupation or industry
and the students educational background, work experience,
and activities may determine the resumes effectiveness as a
job-search tool.
If no job objective is listed, ask: For what type of job or
employer will you use this resume? or To whom do you plan
to send this resume? If the student has several employers and
occupations in mind, make separate readings of the resume,
each with one of the objectives in mind. Evaluate how effective
this shotgun approach might be. Separate resumes for individual
goals may be indicated.
Giving Advice
Stay positive. Avoid negative statements. Never attackuse
gentle arguments to try to get the student to see your vision of
what the resume should look like. Some verbs and phrases you
might use in giving advice: My recommendations are that you,
You might consider changing this, Employers who recruit
at Delaware tell us that they like to see______on a resume;
maybe if you...,There are several points of view on the subject;
you have to decide which one is right for you.
Questions to Ask
Probing questions are useful in discovering information that
your student has forgotten, overlooked, or downplayed. Examples
include:
Missing categories. Find out why theyre not on the resume.
Do you have any extracurricular or volunteer experience
you can include? What about your computer experience
or foreign language skills? Students may have left off
activities they dont deem necessary.
The work experience listed does not support the objective,
either stated or implied. Did any of your assigned tasks in
your three summer jobs relate in any way to your goal of
nding a writing position? Did you compose letters, edit
or proof copy, take minutes, write summaries, etc.?
Job or internship descriptions are sketchy or focus on duties
and responsibilities rather than on accomplishments. Did
you initiate anything new in this job? Were you recognized
by your boss for any achievement-employee of the month,
bonus, etc.? Did you train others to do a job? How was
your work used by your supervisor? Was it included in a
manual, annual report, publication, research report, book,
article, or presentation? Did you have responsibility for
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as: Successfully addressed the needs of an average of
50 customers daily from a variety of ethnic and socioeco-
nomic backgrounds. Have nancial management skills
can be rewritten as: Demonstrated nancial management
skills by effectively completing spreadsheets, cash ow
accounts, and ledger balances.
Include certications, licenses, and special skills in CPR,
real estate, etc. Any special recognition for competitions
(i.e. blue ribbons for showing horses, Eagle Scout ranking,
runner-up in Miss Teenage Delaware Pageant) should be
mentioned. Include the fact that the student nanced 50
percent or more of his college education, if applicable.
High school activities and accomplishments should be
included if they are particularly relevant to the job objec-
tive. Dates should make it clear when these activities
took place.
Develop a portfolio of writing samples, photographs, reports,
brochures, art work, articles, certicates, etc. that provides
concrete evidence of accomplishments. An ePortfolio is an
excellent way to showcase artifacts online. Google Sites
makes it possible to set up a free online portfolio. Include
a statement at the end of the resume, such as Portfolio
and/or References are available upon request, along with
a link to the ePortfolio.
By Minimizing
It is important not to distract the readers attention from the
good information by mentioning items that are unrelated to
the purpose of the resume.
Leave out details that are unrelated to the job objective.
Everything listed in the job descriptionsand especially
in the Other Experience category should be relevant to
that objective.
Omit naming non-degree-granting institutions, irrelevant
course work, and unrelated hobbies.
Leave out References available upon request unless there
is extra space that you think should be lled to improve the
visual appearance of the resume.
In general, leave out personal information that has no
bearing on the students ability to do the job. And leave out
details that imply irrelevant personal information, such as
age. Also avoid race, religious, and politically-related data
unless theres a strong reason to include it, such as to
indicate leadership ability or to show a job-related link.
Style and Format of Resume
The one-page resume, arranged in the chronological format,
is usually expected of new college graduates, regardless of
major. Explain to your student that concerning resumes, less
can denitely be more. If two pages are needed, however, they
should be full pages (not back-to-back); readers tend to disre-
gard pages that carry only small amounts of material. Name
and page number should appear on the second page in case
the two pages become separated; but its best not to staple the
two pages together.
The functional format, with its concentration on skills, can
sometimes give the impression of exaggerating or pufng up
typical student experiences. Similarly, a listing of personal
qualities at the beginning of the resume (such as hard-working,
good communicator, efcient worker) without documentation by
referral to experience is usually dismissed by employers for the
same reasons. Urge students to adopt the more conventional
format for their rst professional resume.
The print resume should be produced on neutral paper of
good quality. Matching paper for cover letters and envelopes
creates a professional appearance. Use of colored paper is not
advisable unless the student has inside knowledge about how
such resumes have been received in the past. It is always bet-
ter to err on the conservative side when it comes to resumes
and cover letters. Since the students resume is often scanned,
it should be produced on white paper with no underlining to
ensure accuracy of copies. If the student wishes to develop a
creative, unconventional resume for a position in advertising,
graphic communication, or another eld known for valuing
creativity, it is advisable to include a conventional resume
along with it to show that the student knows the rules of the
game but has chosen to depart from them.
For todays job search, it is useful to also develop an ad-
ditional unformatted, plain text resume to copy and paste
into e-mails or text boxes. Remind students that electronic
resumes or attachments should be in the PDF format for
security purposes.
Your student may ask questions such as: Do you think I
should bold these words? Should I use italics or underlining
here? Are asterisks or bullets better if I want to draw attention
to my activities? Answers to these questions really depend on
personal taste if the resume will be sent via traditional mail or
FAX. As long as the information is easy to read and easy to nd,
and the method of highlighting important points is consistent,
the decision about these ne points is really up to the resume
writer. You can give your opinion about what you think looks
best, but be sure to add that its just your personal taste and
not necessarily a guideline to follow.
On the other hand, the only formatting needed for plain-text
documents are dashes and capital letters. Other formatting
such as bullets, indenting, or underlining may not transfer
successfully to text boxes or e-mails.
Templates are an easy way to format your resume. However,
many templates are poorly organized, omit important informa-
tion, have font sizes that are too large or too small and tend to
look cookie-cutter. Be cautious about adopting any templates;
be prepared to justify your formatting.
Concluding the Resume Critique
Check out the students reaction to your critique: What do you
think about some of my comments and suggestions today? If
there are hurt feelings or conicting ideas, this is an opportunity
FEBRUARY 2011 JOURNAL/31
to reiterate that resume writing is an art, not a science, and
that it comes with many different points of view, none of them
absolutely right or absolutely wrong. Say that you have given
him/her the best advice you have available, based on employer
recommendations and training, and if it seems appropriate,
invite him/ her to schedule an appointment with a professional
staff member. Avoid taking negative reactions personally and
remember that the students well-being is more important than
any advice you may give.
The Cover Letter
Ten years ago, some informal surveys indicated that many
employers failed to read cover letters that accompany resumes
40 percent of the time. Often, the search committee would receive
a bare copy of the applicants resume from the human resources
department without the cover letter attached. In todays competi-
tive job market, however, the cover letter is being scrutinized
more closely. It is being used as a writing sample, a barometer
of the applicants interest and creativity, and an indicator of how
he or she would t with the organizations mission. Thus, pains
must still be taken to make it an effective and carefully written
and edited advertising piece.
Customize each letter to show familiarity with the nature of
the position, the organization, and the required responsibilities.
Avoid generic letters.
Electronic Cover Letters
Cover letters are often sent electronically, pasted into an e-mail
message or attached to an e-mail. The method of distribution
aside, the cover letter still needs to be respectful, proofread,
and focused on the match between the job or internship and
the candidates qualications.
How You Can Help
As with the resume, students may expect that you will either
write the letter for them or correct all of their sentence structure,
grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. If it seems that the
student has some denite writing decits, suggest that he/she
make an appointment with a campus writing or study center.
Your main job is to offer suggestions as to how the writer can
show a match between the desired position and his/her own
skills and background, while adhering to the general guidelines
that appear in the Job Choices series of job-search magazines
published annually by NACE.
Here are some suggestions you can make to your students:
Leave out any salutation if you do not know the name of
an individual to whom to direct your resume and cover
letter. Dear Sir or Dear Personnel Manager can be off-
putting. Attention: Hiring Manager, can be substituted for
the Dear salutation.
Try to inject something of your personality into the letter.
The resume is a fairly dry document that can be human-
ized by the cover letter: The rst paragraph is the place
to try to grab the readers attention and make the writer
stand out.
For example, The opportunity to apply for a position
with Petersons Lumber, a company with a reputation for
excellent management, makes me very excited.
The excellent care that my brother received when he was
a patient in the rehabilitation department at St. Francis
Hospital has convinced me that this is the organization
I would like to work for.
Camping at Vista Mountain on Cape Charles as a Boy
Scout is one of my fondest memories, and I am thrilled
by the prospect of relocating to the Cape to work for
Myers Johnson.
Always use the second paragraph to show a match
between the applicants background and skills and the
requirements for the job. If you are writing a letter of
inquiry and dont know if a job opening actually exists,
describe the tasks you would like to perform and then give
examples of how you have done these or similar tasks
in the past. If you have a position description to refer to,
try to show t between the job requirements and your
skill set and experience.
Use a proper business-letter format, double-spacing be-
tween paragraphs. Do not use I to start more than one
paragraph in the entire letter. Paragraphs should contain
more than one sentence. Most cover letters should be
limited to a single page.
Customize each letter to show familiarity with the nature of
the position, the organization, and the required responsibili-
ties. Avoid generic letters.
This manual was developed by the Career Services Center
of the University of Delaware. NACE members may photo-
copy this manual as a free handout to their own student
paraprofessionals. Nonmembers should contact Claudia
Allen, NACE editor/web content manager (610/868-1421,
ext. 129, or callen@naceweb.org), for information on
obtaining reprint information.
Marianne Ehrlich Green has been
assistant director at the University of
Delaware since 1985. She has published
two books and numerous articles and book
reviews on career related topics.